The second Annapolis Yacht Club Race Officials Symposium took place over the weekend of February 26-27, 2022. The symposium was comprised of 20 individual topics, four keynote presentations bookending the weekend, more than 70 representatives of Yacht Clubs and Yacht Racing Associations from around the US, and a number of US Sailing representatives. The agenda was diverse and included presentations on The Rise of Umpired Racing, Building an Effective Race Management Team, Mark Boat 1-2-3, Using QR Codes to Communicate, Emergency Plans – Are You Prepared to Take Action, Planning and Executing Junior Sailing Events, and more.

Tom Duggan, Principal Race Officer of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, launched the event with fascinating stories, videos and photos of his experience running an international sailing event while balancing on-the-water duties, as well as managing the challenges presented by COVID-19. Gary Jobson interviewed Andrew Clouston, US Sailing’s Senior Vice President of Programs and Services, who presented new footage of a recent production which thrilled the audience and included quite a few faces who attendees recognized from their own sailing circles.

Day two began with opening remarks from Dawn Riley, Executive Director of Oakcliff Sailing, which is an organization dedicated to building leaders through the sport of sailing. The final keynote speakers, Bruce Nairn and Ashley Love of T2P Productions, continue to promote our sport on a multitude of levels from the greenest of Opti sailors to maxi events as well as the Interclub team and match race event, the Annapolis Yacht Club 3-2-1 Invitational. Networking was a valued component throughout the event, and downtime during lunch, between sessions and a Saturday afternoon happy hour offered opportunities to meet with fellow industry professionals. With staff and Race Officials from clubs as far away as San Francisco in attendance, it was an amazing experience and the Annapolis Yacht Club Sailing Center served as a welcoming venue for all.